Tsv testing method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

An integrated circuit die includes a substrate of semiconductor material having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an opening through the substrate between the top surface and the bottom surface. A through silicon via (TSV) has a conductive body in the opening, has a top contact point coupled to the body at the top surface, and has a bottom contact point coupled to the body at the bottom surface. A scan cell has a serial input, a serial output, control inputs, a voltage reference input, a response input coupled to one of the contact points, and a stimulus output coupled to the other one of the contact points.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This application is a Divisional of prior application Ser. No.14/734,682, filed Jun. 9, 2015, currently pending;

Which was a Divisional of prior application Ser. No. 13/649,808, filedOct. 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,081,064, issued Jul. 14, 2015;

And also claims priority from Provisional Application No. 61/577,384,filed Dec. 19, 2011;

And also claims priority from Provisional Application No. 61/548,503,filed Oct. 18, 2011.

This disclosure relates generally to die having throughsilicon/substrate vias (TSVs) and specifically to the testing of theTSVs.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Integrated circuit die may be designed for stacking using TSVs. TSVs arevertical conductive paths formed between the bottom surface of the dieand top surface of the die. TSVs may be formed in the die usingconductive material, such as but not limited to copper. TSVs allowthousands or tens of thousands of vertical connections to be madebetween the dies in a stack. The advantage of stacking die using TSVsover older approaches, such as die stacking based on peripheral bondwire connections, is a greater number of higher speed interconnects mayexist between die in a stack. Also the physical size of the die stack isreduced since the TSV connections are made between the bottom and topsurfaces of the die, i.e. the die do not need a periphery connectionarea.

FIG. 1 illustrates a die 100 including TSVs 102-106. Each TSV is aconductive path between the bottom surface and top surface of the die. ATSV could be used for providing a voltage bus, a ground bus or a signalbus between the bottom and top surface of the die. As seen each TSV102-106 is electrically connected to a contact point 108, for examplemetal pad or a micro bump, on the bottom surface and a contact point 110on the top surface. The wording bottom and top surfaces used herein arefor simplifying the descriptions of the Figures of this disclosure, theyare not intended to define or specify any orientation of how the diesurfaces in a stack are connected.

During the manufacture of Die 100, each TSV 102-106 should be tested forconnectivity between contact points 108 and 110. In addition toconnectivity, the resistance of TSVs between contact points 108 and 110need to be tested. For example the resistance of TSVs that providepower, ground and high performance signaling paths should be tested. Ifdie 100 had ten thousand TSVs to test, a tester would have to have theresources to test all ten thousand TSVS, which can be very expensiveproposition.

The following disclosure describes a method and apparatus for testingTSVs using a scan path architecture that includes scan cells adapted fortesting TSVs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following disclosure describes a method of testing TSVs using a scanpath architecture including scan cells adapted for testing TSVs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a die with TSVs and contact points.

FIG. 2 illustrates a TSV scan path for testing the TSVs and contactpoints, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a scan cell for testing the TSVs and contact points,according to the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a die with an IEEE 1149.1 TAP controlling the TSVscan path, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the TAP.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrates example implementations of the gating circuit inFIG. 4, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates the die of FIG. 4 connected to a tester, according tothe disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a first example of testing the TSV and contactpoints for continuity and shorts using the TSV scan path, according tothe disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a second example of testing the TSVs and contactpoints for continuity and shorts using the TSV scan path, according tothe disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates the die of FIG. 4 connected to a tester and loadresistors, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of testing the resistance of the TSVs andcontact points using the TSV scan path, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a top die of FIG. 4 stacked on top of a bottom dieof FIG. 4, where the bottom die is connected to a tester, according tothe disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a top die of FIG. 4 stacked on top of a bottom dieof FIG. 4, the bottom die is connected to a tester and the top die isconnected to load resistors, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates the scan cell of FIG. 3 connected to a top contactpoint and a bottom contact point associated with a TSV, according to thedisclosure.

FIG. 17 illustrates the arrangement of FIG. 16 in the absence of thecontact points, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 18 illustrates switches for selectively connecting the scan cell toeither the contact points or to the TSV, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 19 illustrates the die of FIG. 4 augmented to include the switchesof FIG. 18, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 20 illustrates the TAP of FIG. 5 augmented to include controlsignals from the instruction register to control the switches, accordingto the disclosure.

FIG. 21 illustrates the TAP of FIG. 5 augmented to include controlsignals from scan cells in series with the TSV scan path to control theswitches, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 22 illustrates the TSV arrangement of FIG. 16 including aswitchable load resistor on contact point 110, according to thedisclosure.

FIG. 23 illustrates the TSV arrangement of FIG. 18 including aswitchable load resistor on contact point 110, according to thedisclosure.

FIG. 24 illustrates the die of FIG. 4 including switchable loadresistors on contact points 110, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 25 illustrates the stacked dies of FIG. 15 including switchableload resistors on contact points 110, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 26 illustrates a circuit having an output connected to a TSV.

FIG. 27 illustrates an isolation buffer/switch placed in the output pathof FIG. 26, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 28 illustrates an isolation buffer/switch placed in an output pathto the TSV of FIG. 18, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 29 illustrates an isolation buffer/switch placed in an output pathto the TSV of FIG. 22, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 30 illustrates an isolation buffer/switch placed in an output pathto the TSV of FIG. 16, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 31 illustrates the TSV arrangement of FIG. 18 including aswitchable load resistor, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 32 illustrates an isolation buffer/switch placed in an output pathto the TSV of FIG. 31, according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

FIG. 2 illustrates a die 200 with TSVs 102-106 each connected to contactpoints 108 and 110. According to the disclosure, each TSV and associatedcontact points are augmented with a scan cell 202. Each scan cell has atest response (R) input, a voltage reference (VR) input, a scan input(SI), control inputs (CI), a scan output (SO) and a test stimulus (S)output. The response (R) input is connected to TSV contact point 110 andthe stimulus (S) output is connected to TSV contact point 108. The scancells are connected serially via their SI and SO to form a scan path, asshown. The VR inputs to the scan cells are all connected together andthe CI inputs to the scan cells are all connected together, again asshown.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example implementation of scan cell 202, includinga comparator (C) 302, a multiplexer (M) 304, a flip flop (FF) 306 and a3-state buffer/Op-Amp, 308, all connected as shown. Comparator 302 hasinputs for the response (R) input and voltage reference (VR) input andan output. Multiplexer 304 has inputs for the output of the comparator,the scan input (SI), a capture and shift (CS) input and an output. TheFF 306 has an input for the output of the multiplexer, a scan clock (SC)input and an output connected to the serial output (SO) of the scan cell202. The 3-state buffer has an input for the output of the FF, an outputenable (OE) input and an output connected to the stimulus (S) output ofthe scan cell 202. The CS, SC and OE signals come from the CI bus.

When accessed, scan cell 202 operates in either a capture or shift mode.The capture and shift operation modes of the scan cell are controlled bythe control inputs (CI) to the scan cell. During capture operations, theoutput of comparator 302 is selected to be loaded into FF 306 during aSC input, via multiplexer 304. During shift operations, FF 306 shiftsdata from SI to SO during SC inputs, via multiplexer 304. During eitherthe capture or shift operation, 3-state buffer 308 may be enabled ordisabled by the OE input. If disabled, the data contained in FF 306 willnot be asserted onto the stimulus (S) output to TSV contact point 108,i.e. contact point 108 will not be electrically stimulated by the datafrom FF 306. If enabled, the data contained in FF 306 will be assertedonto the stimulus (S) output to TSV contact point 108, i.e. contactpoint 108 will be electrically stimulated by a voltage (Gnd or V+) inresponse to the data value (0 or 1) contained in FF 306. During allcapture operations, the response (R) voltage present on contact point110 is loaded into the FF. The VR input to comparator 302 is set to adesired voltage reference level that will digitize the response (R)voltage on contact point 110 to a logical one or zero to be input to FF306 via multiplexer 304.

While FIG. 3 shows one example implementation of a scan cell for testingTSVs and contact points 108 and 110, the disclosure is not limited tothis one example scan cell implementation. Indeed other scan cellimplementations may be devised. The only thing that is required in thescan cell is the ability to digitize the reference (R) input against avoltage reference and the ability to drive a stimulus (S) voltage tocontact point 108.

FIG. 4 illustrates a die 400 including an IEEE 1149.1 TAP 402 connectedto the TSV scan path. The TAP has a data output for providing the SIinput to the TSV scan path, control outputs for providing the CI inputsto the TSV scan path, a data input for receiving the SO output from theTSV scan path and an enable (EN) output for control a gating circuit 404to couple or decouple the TCI 416 test contact points 424 on the bottomsurface of the die to TCI 418 test contact points 424 on the top surfaceof the die. The TAP receives a TDI input 412 from a test contact point424 on the bottom surface of the die. The TAP receives TAP controlinputs (TCI) 416 from test contact points 424 on the bottom surface ofthe die. The TAP has a TDO output that is input to multiplexer 406 andconnected to a TDO 414 test contact point 424 on the top surface of thedie.

Multiplexer 406 inputs the EN control signal from the TAP, the TDOsignal from the TAP, a TDI signal 422 from a test contact point 424 onthe top surface of the die and outputs TDO signal 420 to a test contactpoint 424 on the bottom surface of the die. The EN signal controlswhether multiplexer 404 couples the TDO output from the TAP or the TDIinput 422 from test contact 424 to the TDO 420 test contact point 424.

The VR signal 408 to the scan cells 202 of the TSV scan path is providedby a test contact point 424 on the bottom surface of the die. The VRsignal 408 is also connected, by a TSV, to a VR signal 410 test contactpoint 424 on the top surface of the die.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example implementation of TAP 402 which includes aTAP state machine (TSM) 502, an instruction register 504, the TSV scanpath 506, multiplexer 508 and a gating circuit 510. The TSM 502 operatesin response to TMS and TCK inputs provided on the TCI bus to eithershift data through the instruction register 504 or the TSV scan pathdata register 506 from TDI to TDO. TAP instruction and data scanoperations are well known in the industry and described in IEEE standard1149.1. While the TSV scan path data register is the only data registershown in this example, the TAP may include any number of other dataregisters.

When an instruction is loaded into the instruction register to selectthe TSV scan path data register 506, a select (SEL) signal is outputfrom the instruction register to gating circuit 510 to couple CS and SCoutputs from the TSM to the CS and SC inputs of the TSV scan path. TheCS TAP output can be the TAP's Shift-DR signal and the SC TAP output canbe the TAP's Clock-DR signal. The loaded instruction also outputs the ENsignal to control gating circuit 404 and control multiplexer 406, andthe OE signal to control the buffers in the scan cells 202 of the TSVscan path. The settings of the EN and OE signals are determined by whattype of test is to be performed by the TSV scan path. Thus there aremultiple types of TSV scan path test instructions.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example gating circuit 404. This gating circuitgates on or off both the TMS and TCK signals between the bottom TCI testcontact points 416 and top TCI test contact point 418, in response tothe setting of the EN signal.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example gating circuit 404. This gating circuitgates on or off only the TMS signal between the bottom TCI test contactpoints 416 and top TCI test contact point 418, in response to thesetting of the EN signal.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example gating circuit 404. This gating circuitgates on or off only the TCK signal between the bottom TCI test contactpoints 416 and top TCI test contact point 418, in response to thesetting of the EN signal.

FIG. 9 illustrates the bottom surface VR 408, TDI 412, TCI 416 and TDO420 contact points 424 of die 400 connected to a tester 902 by contactprobes 904. This arrangement allows testing continuity of each TSV102-106 from the TSV's bottom contact point 108 to top contact point110. This arrangement also allows testing for shorts between TSVs102-106 and shorts between the top 110 and bottom 108 TSV contactpoints. The test is conducted by the tester operating the TAP 402 too;(1) input a stimulus test pattern to the TSV scan path from TDI 412, (2)apply the stimulus test pattern to contact points 108 via the scan cellS outputs, (3) capture the response test pattern from contact points 110the into the scan cells via the R inputs, and (4) output the responsetest pattern on TDO 420. This operation is repeated until all TSV testpatterns have applied. During this test the EN signal is set to disablegating circuit 404 and to control multiplexer 406 to output the TAP TDOto TDO 420. Also during this test the OE from the TAP is set to enablethe buffers of the scan cells 202 of the TSV scan path. The tester alsocontrols the voltage input on the VR signal 408 to the digitizingcomparators of the scan cells 202 of the TSV scan path.

FIGS. 10 and 11 below describe using the TSV scan path of FIG. 9 to testTSVs in a fault free die (FIG. 10) and in a faulty die (FIG. 11).

FIG. 10 illustrates an example two step process of testing fault-freeTSVs and contact points in a simplified view of die 400. This exampleassumes the scan cell buffers have equal pull-up and pull-down drivestrengths on the S output. The scan cell buffers are enabled by the OEsignal during this test.

TSV Scan Test Step 1:

A: Set VR to the scan cells to ⅔ of the voltage output on the scan cellS outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

B: Scan a “101” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

C: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Verify the R pattern is equal tothe S pattern.

D: Set VR to the scan cells to ⅓ of the voltage output on the scan cellS outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

E: Scan a “101” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

F: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Verify the R pattern is equal tothe S pattern.

TSV Scan Test Step 2:

(A): Set VR to the scan cells to ⅓ of the voltage output on the scancell S outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

(B): Scan a “010” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

(C): Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contactpoints 110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Verify the R pattern isequal to the S pattern.

(D): Set VR to the scan cells to ⅓ of the voltage output on the scancell S outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

(E): Scan a “010” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

(F): Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contactpoints 110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Verify the R pattern isequal to the S pattern.

The two step test process above verifies continuity between contactpoints 108 and 110 of each TSV 102-106. It also verifies that no shortsexists between TSVs 102-106 and their contact points 108 and 110. Eachtest step digitizes the voltage on the R input of the scan cell againsta VR setting of ⅔ the voltage applied from the S output and a VR settingof ⅓ of the voltage applied from the S output. While this test used a“101” and “010” S pattern, any type of S patterns may be used. Alsowhile voltage references of ⅔ and ⅓ were used, any desired voltagereferences may be used.

FIG. 11 illustrates the two step process of FIG. 10 testing TSVs andcontact points in a simplified view of die 400 that includes a short1102 between TSV 102 and 104. The short may exist internal of the die onthe TSVs or external of the die at contact on points 108 and 110. Again,this example assumes the scan cell buffers have equal pull-up andpull-down drive strengths on the S output. The scan cell buffers areenabled by the OE signal during this test.

TSV Scan Test Step 1:

A: Set VR to the scan cells to ⅔ of the voltage output on the scan cellS outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

B: Scan a “101” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

C: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Detect that the R pattern “001”is not equal to the S pattern “101”.

D: Set VR to the scan cells to ⅓ of the voltage output on the scan cellS outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

E: Scan a “101” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

F: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Detect that the R pattern “111”is not equal to the S pattern “101”.

TSV Scan Test Step 2:

A: Set VR to the scan cells to ⅔ of the voltage output on the scan cellS outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

B: Scan a “010” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

C: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Detect that the R pattern “000”is not equal to the S pattern “101”.

D: Set VR to the scan cells to ⅓ of the voltage output on the scan cellS outputs when the scan cell contains a logic 1.

E: Scan a “010” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

F: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells. Detect that the R pattern “110”is not equal to the S pattern “101”.

The two step test process above detects the short 1102 between TSVs 102and 104. The detection is enabled by using a ⅔ VR voltage setting andthen a ⅓ VR voltage setting on the VR input to the digitizing comparatorof the scan cells during each test Step. For example, and assuming short1102 is a low resistance short, a logic 1 (+V) applied to contact point108 of TSV 102 and a logic 0 (Gnd) applied to contact point 108 of TSV104 would result in a mid-point (½) voltage being present on the contactpoints 110 of TSVs 102 and 104. Digitizing that mid-point voltageagainst a ⅔ V VR setting and then against a ⅓ V VR setting detects theshort being between TSV 102 and TSV 104. While this test used a “101”and “010” S pattern, any type of S patterns may be used. Also whilevoltage references of ⅔ and ⅓ were used, any desired voltage referencesmay be used.

FIG. 12 illustrates die 400 connected to a tester 902 as described inFIG. 9. Additionally, load resistors, from a Load Resistor Probe 1202,are placed on TSV contact points 110. The resistance of the loadresistor is known. This arrangement allows testing the resistance ofeach TSV 102-106 and their associated contact points 108 and 110. Thetest is conducted by the tester operating the TAP 402 too; (1) input astimulus test pattern to the scan cells of the TSV scan path from TDI412, (2) apply the stimulus test pattern to contact points 108 via thescan cell S outputs, (3) capture the response test pattern from contactpoints 110 the into the scan cells via the R inputs, and (4) output theresponse test pattern in the scan cells on TDO 420. This operation isrepeated until all TSV test patterns have applied. During this test theEN signal is set to disable gating circuit 404 and to controlmultiplexer 406 to output the TAP TDO to TDO 420. Also during this testthe OE from the TAP is set to enable the buffers of the scan cells 202of the TSV scan path. The tester also controls the voltage input on theVR signal 408 to the digitizing comparators of the scan cells 202 of theTSV scan path. By knowing the value of the load resistors and thevoltage applied to contact points 108 when the scan cells contain alogic one it is possible to determine if the resistance of each TSC102-106 and associated contact points 108 and 110 is within anacceptable range by digitizing the voltage drop across each loadresistor at contact point 110 using the VR input.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example process of testing the resistance of eachTSV 102-108 and their contact points 108 and 110 in a simplified view ofdie 400 of FIG. 12. Typically this test would follow the above TSVcontinuity and shorts test described in FIGS. 10 and 11. The scan cellbuffers are enabled by the OE signal during this test.

TSV & Contact Point Resistance Scan Test:

A: Set VR to the scan cells to a voltage reference level that shoulddigitize the expected voltage drop across the load resistors (LR) to alogic 1 when the scan cells are loaded with a logic 1.

B: Scan a “111” S pattern into the scan cells to drive contact points108.

C: Capture a digitized R pattern into the scan cells from contact points110 and scan it out of the scan cells.

If the R pattern is “111”, all TSV's pass the resistance test.

If the R pattern is “011”, TSV 102 fails the resistance test passes.

If the R pattern is “101”, TSV 104 fails the resistance test.

If the R pattern is “110” TSV 106 fails the resistance test.

If the R pattern is “000”, all TSVs fail the resistance test.

D: If desired Repeat A through C with different voltage referencesettings on the VR inputs to the scan cells.

Note: While the example of FIG. 13 used a “111” S pattern, it is notlimited to only using a “111” S pattern. Indeed, any desired S patternmay be used.

FIG. 14 illustrates a stack die assembly consisting of a top die 400connected to a bottom die 400 via test and TSV contact points. Beforestacking the die, the TSVs of each die 400 were tested by a tester, aspreviously described in FIGS. 9-13 and found to be good. After stackingthe die, the die TSV's should be retested for continuity and shorts toensure a good connection between the TSVs of the stack of die. Toperform this test, a tester 902 is connected to the test contact pointson the bottom surface of the bottom die. The tester accesses the TAP 402of the bottom die and loads an instruction into the TAP instructionregister. The instruction sets the EN signal to couple TCI bus 416 toTCI bus 418 and to couple TDI 422 to TDO 420. Following this instructionthe TAP of the top die is connected in series with the TAP of the bottomtop die. The TAP of the top die can input TDI 412 from TDO 414 of thebottom die, input TCI 416 from TCI 418 of the bottom die, and output TDO420 to TDI 422 of the bottom die, via multiplexer 406. Next, the testeraccesses the serially connected TAPs 402 of both the bottom a top die toload instructions. The instruction loaded into the bottom die maintainsthe ENA setting, selects the TSV scan path of the bottom die and setsthe OE signal to enable the buffers in the scan cells of the TSV scanpath of the bottom die. The instruction loaded into the top die selectsthe TSV scan path of the top die and sets the OE signal to disable thebuffers in the scan cells of the TSV scan path of the top die.

After this setup, the tester accesses the TSV scan paths of the bottomand top die to load test patterns. The test patterns loaded into the TSVscan path of the bottom die drive the contact points 108 of the bottomdie, since the buffers of the scan cells are enabled. However the testpatterns loaded into the TSV scan path of the top die do not drive thecontact points 108 of the top die, since the buffers of the scan cellsare disable. For each connected TSV, when a logic 1 is driving a TSVcontact point 108 of the bottom die, a logic 1 should be present at anassociated TSV contact point 110 of the bottom die, at an associated TSVcontact point 108 of the top die and at an associated TSV contact point110 of the top die. For each connected TSV, when a logic 0 is driving aTSV contact point 108 of the bottom die, a logic 0 should be present atan associated TSV contact point 110 of the bottom die, at an associatedTSV contact point 108 of the top die and at an associated TSV contactpoint 110 of the top die. Continuity and shorts testing of the stackedTSVs is accomplished by shifting stimulus test patterns into the TSVscan paths of the bottom die to drive the contact points 108 of thebottom die, then capturing digitized response (R) patterns from thecontact points 110 of the bottom and top die into the TSV scan paths andshifting the captured response patterns out of the TSV scan paths of thebottom and top die. The continuity and shorts test occurs as describedin regard to FIGS. 10 and 11. The only difference in FIG. 14 is that twoconnected TSVs are being tested for continuity and shorts, instead ofjust one TSV as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 15 illustrates a stack die assembly consisting of a top die 400connected to a bottom die 400 via test and TSV contact points. Beforestacking the die, the TSVs of each die 400 were tested by a tester, aspreviously described in FIGS. 9-13 and found to be good. After stackingthe die, the die TSV's should be retested for resistance to ensure agood low resistance connection between the TSVs of the stack. To performthis test, a tester 902 is connected to the test contact points on thebottom surface of the bottom die and load resistors are connected tocontact points 110 of the top die. The tester accesses the TAP 402 ofthe bottom die and loads an instruction into the TAP instructionregister. The instruction sets the EN signal to couple TCI bus 416 toTCI bus 418 and to couple TDI 422 to TDO 420. Following this instructionthe TAP of the top die is connected in series with the TAP of the bottomtop die. The TAP of the top die can input TDI 412 from TDO 414 of thebottom die, input TCI 416 from TCI 418 of the bottom die, and output TDO420 to TDI 422 of the bottom die, via multiplexer 406. Next, the testeraccesses the serially connected TAPs 402 of both the bottom a top die toload instructions. The instruction loaded into the bottom die maintainsthe ENA setting, selects the TSV scan path of the bottom die and setsthe OE signal to enable the buffers in the scan cells of the TSV scanpath of the bottom die. The instruction loaded into the top die selectsthe TSV scan path of the top die and sets the OE signal to disable thebuffers in the scan cells of the TSV scan path of the top die.

After this setup, the tester accesses the TSV scan paths of the bottomand top die to load test patterns. The test patterns loaded into the TSVscan path of the bottom die drive the contact points 108 of the bottomdie with a known voltage, since the buffers of the scan cells areenabled. However the test patterns loaded into the TSV scan path of thetop die do not drive the contact points 108 of the top die, since thebuffers of the scan cells are disable. For each connected TSV, when alogic 1 voltage is driving a TSV contact point 108 of the bottom die, alogic 1 voltage should be present at an associated TSV contact point 110of the bottom die, at an associated TSV contact point 108 of the top dieand at an associated TSV contact point 110 of the top die. For eachconnected TSV, when a logic 0 voltage is driving a TSV contact point 108of the bottom die, a logic 0 voltage should be present at an associatedTSV contact point 110 of the bottom die, at an associated TSV contactpoint 108 of the top die and at an associated TSV contact point 110 ofthe top die. Resistance testing of the stacked TSVs is accomplished byshifting stimulus test patterns into the TSV scan paths of the bottomdie to drive a known voltage onto the contact points 108 of the bottomdie, then capturing digitized voltage response (R) patterns from thecontact points 110 of the bottom and top die into the TSV scan paths andshifting the captured response patterns out of the TSV scan paths of thebottom and top die. The VR input to the scan cells is set to detect anexpected voltage drop level across the load resistors connected tocontact points 110 of the top die as described in FIGS. 12 and 13. Theonly difference in FIG. 15 is that the combined series resistance of twoconnected TSVs are being tested instead of the resistance of a singleTSV as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. If desired the VR input to the scancells can be adjusted and the test repeated to digitize and capture thevoltage levels on the contact points 110 and 108 between the bottom andtop die.

FIG. 16 illustrates a TSV 102 having a contact point 108 on the bottomsurface 1606 a die and contact point 110 on top surface 1608 of the die.As seen the S output of a scan cell 202 is connected to contact point108 and the R input to the scan cell is connected to contact point 110.A connection 1602 exists between contact point 108 and TSV 102 and aconnection 1604 exists between contact point 110 and TSV 102. Whencontact point 108 is driven by a voltage from the S output of the scancell 202, contact point 110 is also driven by the voltage via the TSVconnections 1602 and 1604. Scan cell 202 can digitized and capture thevoltage driven from contact point 110 via it R input.

FIG. 17 illustrates a TSV 102 where the contacts points 108 and 110 havenot been yet been formed on surfaces of the die and connected to theTSV. Without the contact points the TSV cannot be tested by the scancell's S output and R input, since there are no connections 1602 and1604.

FIG. 18 illustrates an improvement to the disclosure to allow testingTSVs in the absence of contact points 108 and 110 on the surfaces of thedie. The improvement includes adding two analog switches 1802 and 1804.Switch 1802 has a terminal 1806 connected to the S output of the scancell 202, a terminal 1808 connected to contact point 108, a terminal1810 connected to the TSV at a point in close proximity to connection1602 and a Select Stimulus (SS) control input 1812. Switch 1804 has aterminal 1814 connected to the R input to the scan cell 202, a terminal1816 connected to contact point 110, a terminal 1818 connected to theTSV at a point in close proximity to connection 1604 and a SelectResponse (SR) control input 1820.

If contact points 108 and 110 are present, switch 1802 is controlled bythe SS input to couple the S output 1806 of the scan cell 202 to contactpoint 108 via terminal 1808 and switch 1804 is controlled by the SRinput to couple the R input 1814 of the scan cell 202 to contact point110 via terminal 1816. In this arrangement continuity, shorts andresistance testing of the TSV and contact points 108 and 110 can occuras previously described.

If contact point 108 is present but contact point 110 is not present,switch 1802 is controlled by the SS input to couple the S output 1806 ofthe scan cell 202 to contact point 108 via terminal 1808 and switch 1804is controlled by the SR input to couple the R input 1814 of the scancell 202 to the TSV via terminal 1818. In this arrangement continuityand shorts testing of the TSV and contact point 108 can occur aspreviously described.

If contact point 110 is present but contact point 108 is not present,switch 1802 is controlled by the SS input to couple the S output 1806 ofthe scan cell 202 to the TSV via terminal 1810 and switch 1804 iscontrolled by the SR input to couple the R input 1814 of the scan cell202 to contact point 110 via terminal 1816. In this arrangementcontinuity, shorts and resistance testing of the TSV and contact point110 can occur as previously described.

If contact points 108 and 110 are not present, switch 1802 is controlledby the SS input to couple the S output 1806 of the scan cell 202 to theTSV via terminal 1810 and switch 1804 is controlled by the SR input tocouple the R input 1814 of the scan cell 202 to the TSV via terminal1818. In this arrangement continuity and shorts testing of the TSV canoccur as previously described.

FIG. 19 illustrates a die 1902 including an IEEE 1149.1 TAP 1904, theTSV scan path and switches 1802 and 1804. Die 1902 is identical to die400 of FIG. 4 with the exceptions that it contains the switches 1802 and1804 and the TAP 1904 has been designed to provide the SS and SR controloutput signals to switches 1802 and 1804.

FIG. 20 illustrates a first example implementation of TAP 1904. TAP 1904is identical to TAP 402 of FIG. 5 with the exception that theinstruction register 504 includes outputs for providing the SR and SScontrol signals. The SR and SS control signals are set according toinstructions loaded into the Instruction register. The SR control signalcan be set to couple the R input of the scan cells 202 to either the TSVor to contact point 110, as mentioned in regard to FIG. 18. The SScontrol signal can be set to couple the S output of the scan cells 202to either set the TSV or to contact point 108, as mentioned in regard toFIG. 18.

FIG. 21 illustrates a second example implementation of TAP 1904. TAP1904 is identical to TAP 402 of FIG. 5 with the exception that two scancells 2102 have been inserted in series with the TSV scan path. One scancell provides the SR control signal and the other scan cell provides theSS control signal. Data bits are loaded into the scan cells during scanaccess of the TSV scan path. The data bits control the setting of the SRand SS control signals. The SR control signal can be set to couple the Rinput of the scan cells 202 to either the TSV or to contact point 110,as mentioned in regard to FIG. 18. The SS control signal can be set tocouple the S output of the scan cells 202 to either set the TSV or tocontact point 108, as mentioned in regard to FIG. 18. While the exampleshows the two scan cells 2102 being located ahead of the TSV scan path,they can be located after the TSV scan path or one can be located aheadand one located after the scan path as well.

Referring back to FIGS. 12, 13 and 15 it is seen that for resistancetesting of the TSVs and contact points 108 and 110, it is necessary totouch the contact points 110 of the die using an external loadresistance probe 1202. Assuming 10,000 TSVs in a die, that would meanthat 10,000 contact points 110 had to be touched.

If the load resistor probe had the capability of touching all 10,000contact points 110, all 10,000 TSVs could be tested in a single scantest operation, as previously described. This would require a veryexpensive load resistor probe and probably would not be possible due tothe amount of pressure being applied to the die from the 10,000 probepoints.

If the load resistor probe only had the ability of touching say 100contact points 110 at a time, performing a scan test on 100 TSVs thenlifting up and touching down on other remaining groups of 100 contactpoints 110 to test their TSVs, the probe movement and scan test wouldhave to be repeated 100 times to test all 10,000 TSVS. This could bedone, but the TSV test time would be significantly increased.

The following FIGS. 22-24 illustrate and describe a solution to this TSVtesting problem, according to the disclosure. The solution is based onincorporating switchable load resistors within the die on each contactpoint 110.

FIG. 22 illustrates the TSV and contact point testing arrangement ofFIG. 16 being augmented with a switch 2202 and load resistor 2204. Theswitch 2202 has a terminal connected to R connection to contact point110, a terminal connected to a first lead of a load resistor 2204 and acontrol input terminal connected to a load (LD) control signal. Theresistor is designed to a known value of resistance and its second leadis connected to ground. When resistance testing of the TSV and contactpoints 108 and 110 is being performed, the switch 2202 is closed by theLD control signal to apply the load resistance on contact point 110.Resistance testing is then performed on the TSV and contact points asdescribed previously in FIGS. 12, 13 and 15.

FIG. 23 is provided to illustrate the TSV and contact point testingarrangement of FIG. 18 being augmented with switch 2202 and loadresistor 2204 of FIG. 22. In this case the switch is connected tocontact point 110 by a connection to terminal 1816 of switch 1804.Resistance testing of TSV and contact points 108 and 110 is performed byclosing switch 2202 and performing the resistance test as described inFIGS. 12, 13 and 15.

FIG. 24 illustrates the die 400 of FIG. 12 including switches 2202 andresistors 2204 on contact points 110. The LD control signal to theswitches 2202 comes from the TAP 402. The LD control signal can comefrom the TAP's instruction register as were the SR and SS controlsignals of FIG. 20, or from a scan cell in series with the TSV scan pathas were the SR and SS control signals of FIG. 21. Resistance testing ofthe TSVs and contact points is the same as described in FIGS. 12 and 13.As seen, the external load resistance probe 1202 of FIG. 12 is notrequired since the load resistors are integrated into the die 400. Thusthe problems mentioned above in using the external load probe 1202 areeliminated.

FIG. 25 illustrates the top and bottom die 400 of FIG. 15 includingswitches 2202 and resistors 2204 on contact points 110. The LD controlsignal to the switches 2202 comes from the TAP 402 of each die, asdescribed in FIG. 24. Resistance testing of the series connected TSVsand contact points of the top and bottom die is accomplished by closingthe switches 2202 of the top die to place a load resistance on thecontact points 110 of the top die and leaving the switches 2202 of thebottom die open, then performing the resistance test as described inFIG. 15. As seen, the external load resistance probe 1202 of FIG. 15 isnot required since the integrated load resistors of the top die providethe load for the resistance test. Thus the problems mentioned above inusing the external load probe 1202 are eliminated.

FIG. 26 illustrates the TSV and test circuitry of FIG. 23 wherein anoutput of a circuit 2602 inside the die connected to the TSV. While thisexample uses the TSV and test circuitry example of FIG. 23, any of theother TSV and test circuitry examples of FIGS. 16, 17, 18 and 22 mayalso have an output of a circuit inside the die connected to a TSV asshown in FIG. 26. The circuit 2602 may be a digital or analog circuit.The problem with having a circuit output connected to the TSV is that itmay be driving a voltage signal onto the TSV when the scan cell isattempting to test the TSV, which would corrupt the test.

FIG. 27 illustrates the TSV and test circuitry of FIG. 26 where a3-buffer or switch 2702 is inserted, according to the disclosure, intothe output path between the circuit 2602 and TSV 102. The buffer/switch2702 has a disable output (DO) control input that enables or disablesthe output of circuit 2602. During functional operation of the die, theDO control input is set to enable the output to drive the TSV. DuringTSV testing, the DO is set to disable the output from driving the TSV,which allows the scan cell 202 to test the TSV as described herein. TheDO control signal to the buffer/switch 2702 comes from the TAP 402. TheDO control signal can come from the TAP's instruction register as werethe SR and SS control signals of FIG. 20, or from a scan cell in serieswith the TSV scan path as were the SR and SS control signals of FIG. 21.

FIG. 28 illustrates the TSV and test circuitry of FIG. 18 where a3-buffer or switch 2702 is inserted into the output path between thecircuit 2602 and TSV 102, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 29 illustrates the TSV and test circuitry of FIG. 22 where a3-buffer or switch 2702 is inserted into the output path between thecircuit 2602 and TSV 102, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 30 illustrates the TSV and test circuitry of FIG. 16 where a3-buffer or switch 2702 is inserted into the output path between thecircuit 2602 and TSV 102, according to the disclosure.

FIG. 31 illustrates an alternate placement of the switch 2202 and loadresistor 2204 of FIG. 23, which allows a load resistance to selectivelybe placed on either connection 1816 or 1818.

FIG. 32 illustrates the TSV and test circuitry of FIG. 31 where a3-state buffer or switch 2702 is inserted into the output path between acircuit 2602 and TSV 102, according to the disclosure.

Although the disclosure has been described in detail, it should beunderstood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An integrated circuit die comprising: (a) asubstrate of semiconductor material having a top surface, a bottomsurface, and a first opening through the substrate between the topsurface and the bottom surface; (b) a first through silicon via having afirst conductive body in the opening, having a first top contact pointcoupled to the first body at the top surface, and having a first bottomcontact point coupled to the first body at the bottom surface; and (c) afirst scan cell including: i. comparator circuitry having a firstvoltage reference input, a first response input coupled to one of thefirst top contact point and the first bottom contact point, and acomparator output; ii. a multiplexer having an input connected to thecomparator output, a first serial input, a control input, and amultiplexer output; and iii. a flip-flop having an input connected tothe multiplexer input, a first scan clock input, and a first serialoutput that is coupled to the other one of the first top contact pointand the first bottom contact point.
 2. The integrated circuit die ofclaim 1 including a first buffer having an input connected to the firstserial output, a three state control input, and a first stimulus outputconnected to the other one of the first top contact point and the firstbottom contact point.
 3. The integrated circuit die of claim 1including: (a) a second opening through the substrate between the topsurface and the bottom surface; (b) a second through silicon via havinga second conductive body in the second opening, having a second topcontact point coupled to the second body at the top surface, and havinga second bottom contact point coupled to the second body at the bottomsurface; and (c) a second scan cell including: i. comparator circuitryhaving a second voltage reference input coupled to the first voltagereference input, a second response input coupled to one of the secondtop contact point and the second bottom contact point, and a comparatoroutput; ii. a multiplexer having an input connected to the comparatoroutput, a second serial input coupled to the first serial output, acontrol input, and a multiplexer output; and iii. a flip-flop having aninput connected to the multiplexer input, a second scan clock inputcoupled to the first scan clock input, and a second serial output thatis coupled to the other one of the second top contact point and thesecond bottom contact point.
 4. The integrated circuit die of claim 3including a second buffer having an input connected to the second serialoutput, a three state control input, and a second stimulus outputconnected to the other one of the second top contact point and thesecond bottom contact point.